Changed from Voda to XT

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Changed from Voda to XT

w2krules

491 posts

Ultimate Geek

#100522 12-Apr-2012 21:24

I finally changed to XT after many years with Vodafone. I have an iPhone 4 and have had increasing problems with Voda in the main cities, although their 900 MHz network works well. Our son changed to Skinny 2 weeks ago and is really pleased with the improved coverage and battery life on his iPhone 3GS.

Well, XT is so much better. For a start, it works well at home where we've always had problems with 2G and 3G coverage. The only phone that ever worked properly was a Nokia E71 with GSM disabled.

I get 4-5 bars of signal everywhere I've been in Auckland so far. Data is much better - no waiting for ages for my email to update. Texts get sent almost instantly.

So a very happy customer so far. I'll be visiting a client tomorrow where Voda coverage is almost non-existent so will be interesting to see if XT is better there.

I was a geek before the word was invented!

1 | 2 | 3

641 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#608509 12-Apr-2012 21:46

Yes, both Telecom's mobile brands are good (XT and skinny). One of my workmates moved from Voda to XT and he is so happy about it and never have problem with it.

My wife is using Skinny and she is very happy as well. We live in a bad Voda coverage area and we often miss calls and texts can take ages to be sent or received. Few months ago I moved to 2degrees and wife moved to Skinny and no regret man. My phone has almost full GSM/EDGE coverage now and her phone has full 3G coverage.

We were so happy that we can finally use our mobile without asking the other party to repeat what he/she was saying.

w2krules

491 posts

Ultimate Geek

#612663 20-Apr-2012 23:37

Well, the end of the working week and all I can say is wow. The XT network is so much better than Voda that there is simply no comparison.

If you have an iPhone, you simply have to get on to XT, even if it cost's you some $$$.

I was a geek before the word was invented!

marmel

1924 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#612715 21-Apr-2012 08:02

I am currently with XT (4S) but have had VF service on iphones before as well, in fact I am also running a VF sim in my ipad.

In the area I live (Southland) there isn't a lot of real world difference between the two unless you have some sought of fascination with speedtest.net.

Both networks get bagged from time to time but if you look at where we have come from say 3-4 years ago most customers would be reasonably happy.

w2krules

491 posts

Ultimate Geek

#612730 21-Apr-2012 08:50

marmel: I am currently with XT (4S) but have had VF service on iphones before as well, in fact I am also running a VF sim in my ipad.

In the area I live (Southland) there isn't a lot of real world difference between the two unless you have some sought of fascination with speedtest.net.

Both networks get bagged from time to time but if you look at where we have come from say 3-4 years ago most customers would be reasonably happy.

I have no complaints with Voda's 900 MHz network, although my experience so far is that XT coverage is a little better. it's in the cities where the problems with Vodafone are worst. For example, my wife works at Auckland Uni's Epsom campus, and 3G coverage is almost non-existent. In fact, some days she couldn't even manage to send a txt from her office!

And of course the iPhone 3GS doesn't do 900 MHz so is only a 2G device away from the main centres, but works well on XT.

I was a geek before the word was invented!

marmel

1924 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#612735 21-Apr-2012 08:59

w2krules:
marmel: I am currently with XT (4S) but have had VF service on iphones before as well, in fact I am also running a VF sim in my ipad.

In the area I live (Southland) there isn't a lot of real world difference between the two unless you have some sought of fascination with speedtest.net.

Both networks get bagged from time to time but if you look at where we have come from say 3-4 years ago most customers would be reasonably happy.

I have no complaints with Voda's 900 MHz network, although my experience so far is that XT coverage is a little better. ?it's in the cities where the problems with?Vodafone?are worst. ?For example, my wife works at Auckland Uni's Epsom campus, and 3G coverage is almost non-existent. ?In fact, some days she couldn't even manage to send a txt from her office!

And of course the iPhone 3GS doesn't do 900 MHz so is only a 2G device away from the main centres, but works well on XT.

Yep if you have a 3GS or earlier you would be silly not to run it on XT.

lestag

100 posts

Master Geek

#621311 7-May-2012 22:21

Over the last year , I have used a range of Voda and XT USB Sticks ($79 variety) in the greenlane/newmarket
The voda sticks have to be unplugged often to get them to reconenct to the voda network.
The XT sticks just work. Guess whick sticks I only use now? yup XT
And before you say "well it is probably because of different manufacture sticks"
a) who cares if they just work, clearly XT selection is better
b) I bought a branded MF180 stick off each of them and the XT one just worked, no glitches. the voda one was llike a push-me-pull-you

quickymart

13928 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#621326 7-May-2012 22:48

Vodafone don't sell MF180 sticks, do they?

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#621338 7-May-2012 23:15

quickymart: Vodafone don't sell MF180 sticks, do they?

I don't think we do, I use my Vodem stick quite often in Greenlane and don't have issues, We also now have Dual carrier 43Mbps sites in the area and performance is great, These sites were not active on this speed 12 months ago but have been for a few months now

John

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#621819 8-May-2012 18:33

I went from Vodafone to XT a few months ago now. Best thing I ever did. Reception was so bad here at home. Now I have 4 or 5 bars.

I kept my 021 number as well.

Was pretty painless. Went into Telecom store with my iPhone 3G, the guy took my info etc, and gave me a SIM card (yes, it was FREE - din't cost me anything to change over). He said my phone would probably go offline that evening, and when it did, to put the new SIM in. Worked perfectly.

lestag

100 posts

Master Geek

#621888 8-May-2012 20:42

johnr:
quickymart: Vodafone don't sell MF180 sticks, do they?

I don't think we do, I use my Vodem stick quite often in Greenlane and don't have issues, We also now have Dual carrier 43Mbps sites in the area and performance is great, These sites were not active on this speed 12 months ago but have been for a few months now

John

No , your right, I stand corrected (sheepishly in the corner with the dunce cap on).
The voda was a k3571, similar looking to a MF180.

networkn

Networkn
32350 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#621972 8-May-2012 22:54

I have to say that I see more and more of these threads. I have been a VF customer for the last 16 years since Bellsouth days, and I have to say that I find more patchiness the longer I am with them, and the opposite should be true. I am contemplating a trial of an XT Sim to see if I can get from dropping 5 calls a day to 1 or something. I am reluctant to leave VF, they have given me good service and value for money, but the frustration is really starting to mount.

I don't really have any issues with data.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#621975 8-May-2012 23:02

networkn: I have to say that I see more and more of these threads. I have been a VF customer for the last 16 years since Bellsouth days, and I have to say that I find more patchiness the longer I am with them, and the opposite should be true. I am contemplating a trial of an XT Sim to see if I can get from dropping 5 calls a day to 1 or something. I am reluctant to leave VF, they have given me good service and value for money, but the frustration is really starting to mount.

I don't really have any issues with data.

Are you using a iphone4?

networkn

Networkn
32350 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#621981 8-May-2012 23:15

Hells no :)

Wouldn't catch me dead with one of those. I don't even want a GS3 in white in case someone mistakes me as having one :)

GS2

w2krules

491 posts

Ultimate Geek

#622026 9-May-2012 04:25

networkn: I have to say that I see more and more of these threads. I have been a VF customer for the last 16 years since Bellsouth days, and I have to say that I find more patchiness the longer I am with them, and the opposite should be true. I am contemplating a trial of an XT Sim to see if I can get from dropping 5 calls a day to 1 or something. I am reluctant to leave VF, they have given me good service and value for money, but the frustration is really starting to mount.

I don't really have any issues with data.

Don't even bother with a trial, just change. It really is that much better.

The problem I've had with Voda voice calls for some time now is the way the phone switches between GSM and 3G in low signal areas, such as our home in Auckland. I managed to get around this to some extent when I had a parallel import Nokia E71 by running it in UMTS mode, which of course meant that I had to manually turn on GSM when there was no 3G coverage.

Then I bought an iPhone and voice calls at home became a real problem again. Plus data seemed to be getting slower, probably due to all of the iPhones on the network!

The Vodafone rural 3G network is great, no complaints there at all.

I was a geek before the word was invented!

w2krules

491 posts

Ultimate Geek

#622027 9-May-2012 04:27

johnr:
networkn: I have to say that I see more and more of these threads. I have been a VF customer for the last 16 years since Bellsouth days, and I have to say that I find more patchiness the longer I am with them, and the opposite should be true. I am contemplating a trial of an XT Sim to see if I can get from dropping 5 calls a day to 1 or something. I am reluctant to leave VF, they have given me good service and value for money, but the frustration is really starting to mount.

I don't really have any issues with data.

Are you using a iphone4?

Just curious why you asked if networkn had an iPhone 4?

I was a geek before the word was invented!

1 | 2 | 3